Rob Malcolm, VP of Marketing and Online Sales, CLX Communications shares insights into GDPR’s impact on the global enterprise messaging space answering in depth questions about the intricacies of the regulation, such as “what qualifies as personal data?”, “what are the rights of EU citizens under GDPR” and “do I need to get my customers to opt-in again?”

“GDPR is less than one month away. For many enterprises, it is uncharted territory. This is especially true of businesses that use Enterprise Messaging as part of their customer service operations, be that for two-factor authentication, appointment reminders, or marketing, on CPaaS platforms.

GDPR is clear. It’s no longer possible to cut corners. It is therefore vital for Enterprises to seek out the right messaging or CPaaS provider so that the highest standards of protection of personal data are maintained.”

From data accuracy to consent and repermissioning, Jim Conning, Managing Director of Royal Mail Data Services highlights five key enterprise challenges of GDPR.

“Whatever stage you’re at in your GDPR preparation, 25 May 2018 represents a threshold in the way you conduct your marketing and manage the data you hold. I can sympathise with anyone who feels nervous in the run up to the GDPR deadline; we all want to know if we’ve implemented our GDPR plans properly. 

“I see the GDPR as a big opportunity to press “refresh” for organisations, not only in the way they handle data, but also how they continue to build relationships with their customers.”

MEF Member representatives from very different ends of the mobile ecosystem share their unique experiences with GDPR preparations – hear how Telecoming, Digi.Me, Zeotap and Trunomi describe the impact of the regulation on their business and how they see the industry evolving in a post-GDPR world.

“Looking back I think what makes an incredible difference is if you approach the topic with fear or with the vision of a better ecosystem in mind. Fear is always an inhibitor… while curiosity and the willingness to build something is a very effective facilitator. We always saw GDPR as a positive challenge..”  Florian Lichtwald, SVP Global Telecom Data Partnerships, Zeotap.

For data privacy to exist in the age of data capitalism the consumer must be at the core of that business model. Consumers must be in control and be empowered to monetize their own data. Businesses are not only racing against the GDPR countdown clock – they’re also worried about their reputations – and no one wants to be the last company to care about their customer’s data rights. Stuart Lacey, CEO And Founder, Trunomi

Personal profiling has long-since been the bedrock of how data is used in the digital economy. Analyst and author of “Applying the GDPR Privacy Rules for the Data Economy” Chiara Rustici discusses how the rules governing personal profiling are changing, the importance of compliance, and provides shares eight essential rules for safely profiling under GDPR.

“Persistent digital identities that serve as a repository for every digital click and swipe, every word uttered, searched or typed, every step and every turn taken or not taken are something we have not seen before. They are hyper-identities, fall squarely within the definition of GDPR profiling and attract the hyper-vigilance that the GDPR reserves to high-risk data processing.

The eight GDPR rules on profiling are not hard to remember. What is hard is for the mobile ecosystem stakeholders to achieve absolute clarity about their chosen personal data business model.”

Fabien Venries, Head of Privacy & Marketing Stream – Data Strategy & Governance at Orange describes the mammoth task of preparing the Orange Group, made up of some one hundred companies, each with its own governance, platforms, databases and CRM systems, for the new data regulation, and the cultural changes that follow.

“The GDPR will be the starting point of a new era of data-driven marketing and customer experience in which we all have to build a different relationship with customers that is even more transparent.

However, teaching Orange customers on how to navigate these changes will also be a challenge in respect of the habits and different cultures across our countries. As well as providing them with the tools and interfaces that can help them manage their data, it is also imperative to educate them in how to appropriately apply their consent, their sharing and their rights as individuals.”

“MEF is committed to a continued focus on building trust in the mobile ecosystem. As GDPR rolls out it’s essential to achieve clarity and definition on how GDPR should be implemented and establish best practices that help our industry self-regulate. 

To this end, MEF is working with its members to create mobile specific guidance and ultimately a dedicated Code of Conduct which will demystify the inevitable grey areas that come with such a broad and far reaching set of regulations. The work to shape and define such a Code will proactively help members’ businesses and those that adopt it will have a common baseline for compliance and the platform to reassure customers that they operate within the letter of the GDPR law.

At this time of heightened public scrutiny and an ever-evolving data protection landscape, MEF’s Trust in Data Programme champions effective self-regulation and helps the mobile ecosystem put trust front and centre in product & services development, customer engagement and digital transformation.”